The Psoriasis Association 'Bring Psoriasis To The Surface' For Psoriasis Awareness Week

The Psoriasis Association encourage those living with psoriasis to talk more openly with friends and family about their condition to increase their confidence and self esteem to ultimately improve their personal relationships.



Psoriasis Awareness Week runs from 1st - 7th November 2010. To mark the week The Psoriasis Association are launching a campaign aimed at empowering those living with psoriasis to talk about their condition to friends and family and 'Bring Psoriasis to the Surface'.



The campaign aims to encourage those living with psoriasis to openly discuss their condition with close friends and family, to help improve their confidence and self-esteem, leading to stronger relationships.



Psoriasis affects over a million people in the UK; between 2 per cent and 3 per cent of the population.[i] It is a chronic and lifelong condition, presenting itself as red, sore areas and white itchy plaques on the skin.


Helen McAteer, CEO of The Psoriasis Association says; "Psoriasis can be a difficult and frustrating condition to live with, many sufferers can feel incredibly isolated, which is often made even worse by negative misconceptions about the condition. It is important that people with psoriasis do not suffer in silence, The Psoriasis Association are using the Awareness Week as an opportunity to empower those living with the condition and encourage them to talk to their family and friends about how living with psoriasis makes them feel."


Psoriasis can have a profound physical and psychological impact[ii] and can be a complex and difficult condition to live with. Recent research highlights that the quality of life of those living with the condition is greatly affected, with over 50 per cent suffering from emotional distress[iii], and nearly 55 per cent have lost their confidence3 due to the condition.


Jo Hemmings, one of the UKs top psychologists and who lives with psoriasis herself is lending her support to the week; "Psoriasis can have a significant effect on the quality of life of sufferers, not just physically but also socially and emotionally. The condition can greatly impact on the confidence of those living with the condition in terms of their self identity and relationships with others. Open communication is key in allowing those living with the condition to express how they are feeling, allowing any negativity to be discussed and eliminated."


Psoriasis may appear at any age, although research suggests that psoriasis is more likely to occur in adolescence and early adulthood and then again later in life. Onset peaks for women occur at 16 and 60 years old, with similar peaks seen at the ages of 22 and 57 years old for men.[iv] Gender does not appear to play a part. Both men and women are equally as likely to get the disease.[v]


Patient, Claire Strudwicke, from Oxford has lived with the condition for over 30 years says; "This campaign aims to encourage others living with psoriasis to open up, particularly those who have perhaps been recently diagnosed and are learning to live with the condition. Just because symptoms appear on the skin's surface, the impact of a diagnosis of Psoriasis is far from superficial. The more comfortable a person is in the relationship with their own skin condition, the healthier their relationships with others are likely to be. "
















Notes


Psoriasis Awareness Week 2010 will be running across the UK from the 1st - 7th November. During the week there will be various activities taking place all aimed at raising awareness of the condition and encouraging communication.



Helen McAteer is the Chief Executive of the Psoriasis Association. The Psoriasis Association is the leading national membership organisation for people affected by psoriasis, and is a registered charity in England and Wales (no.257414) and Scotland (SC039886).



Jo Hemmings is the UK's No. 1 Celebrity Psychologist. Jo has had psoriasis of the scalp since she was 16yrs old. A trained Behavioural Psychologist, author, Dating and Relationship Coach and broadcaster, Jo specialises in the psychology of celebrity behaviour, whether A-Listers or reality TV stars, and is the Behavioural Expert of choice, discussing the contestants on Britain's Got Talent and The X Factor on Sky News. She also appears regularly commenting on celebrity behaviour and body language as well as news stories on Sky and BBC News. She has been the Behavioural Psychologist on C4's Big Brother's Little Brother since 2008 appearing on all series including Big Brother 11 and Ultimate Big Brother.




[i] British Association of Dermatologists. Topical Treatments for Psoriasis. Patient Information Leaflet. August 2004. Available here.

[ii] Kimball AB, Jacobson C, Weiss S, Vreeland M, Wu Y. The psychosocial burden of psoriasis. Am J Clin Dermatol 2005; 6:383-392.


[iii] Gilbert A K. The Patient Experience Survey. The Psoriasis Association.. May 2010


[iv] Henseler et al. Psoriasis of early and late onset: characterization of two types of psoriasis vulgaris. J Am Acad Dermatol 1985; 13:450-6.


[v] Griffiths CEM, Camp RDR, Barker JN: Psoriasis. In: Rook's Textbook of Dermatology. Burns T, Breathnach, Cox N, Griffiths CEM (eds). Blackwell: Oxford. 7th ed, 2004. p.35.2